1. Field of the Invention.
The invention relates to a unique alignment fixture and method for aligning very fine wire relative to a workpiece.
2. Prior Art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,426 to Grassauer, issued Jan. 27, 1970, and entitled "Wire Holding Fixture" utilizes an advancing screw for permitting the sequential feeding of wires into a connector while securely clamping the previously-inserted wires. The screw has a feeding slot through which the wire is passed and the wires are sequentially inserted through the feed slot into solder sleeves with the screw being turned one revolution after each wire is inserted. Therefore, the wire is not handled by the screw threads but merely the threads are a measure for aligning the feed hole with the solder receiving sleeves once each revolution.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,790 to Rass, et al, entitled "Apparatus for Joining Two Coils of Wires" issued Apr. 13, 1976, discloses a structure for supporting two coils of wire with their ends in juxtaposition for joining. A pair of parallelly located ribbed gripping devices are employed to hold the ends. However, the wire does not appear to engage any threads of such devices nor are the devices in spaced-apart position for accommodating the workpiece therebetween, nor is there any solution to the problems of handling tiny wire.
No prior art known discloses any method or apparatus capable of or adapted for handling of tiny wires. Wire having a diameter of, for example, 0.0001 inches is normally invisible to the naked eye, and the human handling of such wire is practically impossible because of the unsteadiness of a person's hands. So, if it is impossible to see the wire, it is extremely difficult to observe the same through a microscope while holding it in one's hands without fracturing it. Thus, in summary, the prior art is totally unconcerned with the unique problems associated with the alignment of such fine wires.